Market worker stabbed in heart over loading cart dispute

A market worker stabbed a man in the chest during a dispute over some fruit and vegetables, Dubai Criminal Court was told yesterday.

On January 16, a 24-year-old Pakistani worker at Dubai’s vegetable and fruit market was loading produce on to a cart to move it into the shop where he worked when he was approached by the colleague.

“He started screaming at me saying that the cart was his, I told him it was not and resumed my work,” the man said, court records showed.

He said his countryman was holding a kitchen knife while ordering him to return the cart.

“I placed my foot on the cart and continued working but he pushed me and we both started fighting,” the man said.

A number of nearby workers helped to break up the fight and when they did, the man fell unconscious.

The men noticed his bloodied shirt as he fell and called police and an ambulance.

A driver, 22, told the court he was at the market when he heard screams.

“I looked up and saw the two of them fighting. I hadn’t seen the knife at all but I rushed there to break up the fight along with other workers.

“We separated the two then the victim fell to the ground. I saw blood on his shirt but didn’t know why, or that he had been stabbed,” the driver said.

He said an ambulance arrived four minutes later. “As I walked back to my shop, I saw a small knife on the ground but didn’t connect the dots,” he said.

The man was taken to Rashid Hospital where he underwent emergency surgery. His attacker was arrested.

The knife pierced the man’s right ventricle, the medical report showed. Immediate surgery was needed to save his life.

During police questioning, the defendant said he had not intended to stab his colleague. He denied a charge of attempted murder. The case continues on May 2.